


backpacks and cars

by Anonymous



Series: things i keep on the shelf of my heart [6]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Age Regression/De-Aging, Childhood Trauma, Crying, Daddy Issues, Depression, Dissociation, M/M, Mentioned violence, Past Rape/Non-con, bad teachers, like... a lot, non-sexual choking, sad shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 04:13:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20988662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "Thank you hyung, thank you, thank you…"ETA: I DO NOT CONSENT FOR MY WORKS TO BE TAKEN FROM AO3 AND UPLOADED TO ANY OTHER APPS/SITES





	backpacks and cars

**Author's Note:**

> fhjkfhd hello. im back. with more angst!
> 
> additional warnings: none?? just read the tags i think??

His brother was calling him every day, telling him to answer his mother’s calls, to come home and sort out the mess he had created. Chan just told him it was a lost cause, and to give up.

Woojin came and wrapped his arms around him, his fingers skimming over the scars on his hips as he kissed him.

“I’m proud of you baby.” He murmured, and Chan grinned, leaning his head back against his boyfriend’s shoulder.

“Thank you Dad.” 

Woojin stared down at the note in his hand, fingers itching to just pick up his damn phone and call the number. But everytime he tried something stopped him, something held him back.

He laid down on the floor, staring at the ceiling lamp as his heart pounded. He held his phone up above his face, opening the phone app and pressing in the number with shaking hands. He hesitated, but then pressed the call button.

“Hello, this is Dr. Lee Changjin. Who am I speaking to?” Woojin took a deep breath, gripping his shirt as he spoke.

“Hi, my name is Kim Woojin. You hold a support group for male victims of rape, correct?”

“Chan, please pay attention.” His teacher said for the nth time that lesson, and Chan sighed, stubbornly staring down at his desk. “Chan?” He looked up at Mrs. Chang, and faked a look of guilt.

“I’m sorry, I haven’t been sleeping well.” He mumbled and Mrs. Chang frowned.

“Meet me after class.”

Woojin drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, glancing at his watch. Chan usually wasn’t late, but definitely not when Woojin came to pick him up. He sighed, opening the door and getting out, leaning his arm on the roof of his car. He couldn’t see Chan anywhere in the crowds of students pouring out of the school.

He pulled up his phone, opening it and calling Chan. It rang, and after half a minute his boyfriend still hadn’t answered.

“Woojin-ssi?” He hung up his phone, turning to the now familiar voice of Jeongin.

“Hi Jeongin-ssi. Where’s Chan?” Jeongin frowned.

“He had to stay behind after class, but I think I saw him going to the bathroom afterwards.” Woojin’s breath hitched, and Jeongin noticed his worried expression.

“I need to go to him.” Jeongin nodded, gesturing for him to follow.

“I’ll show you.”

He couldn’t breathe, his throat so tight it felt like he was going to pass out. He gripped his hair, trying to keep his sobs in, trying to make himself invisible.

“Chan hyung?” Jeongin’s voice echoed through the near empty bathroom, and he flinched, pulling his legs closer to his body. “Woojin-ssi is here.”

“Channie? Are you in here?” He cried out at the soft familiar voice, sobbing loudly.

“P-please, please, help me…” The footsteps came closer and the door to the stall he had been hiding was ripped open. He heard a gasp and then he was pressed against Daddy’s chest, soothing vibrations traveling through his body.

“Hey baby it’s alright, I got you.”

“I just need to use the toilet but I’ll be right out there with you.” Jeongin said, and Woojin nodded, wrapping an arm around Chan’s waist and pulling his limp arm over his shoulders.

“Hey baby, we need to get to my car. Think you can handle that?” Woojin asked, and Chan nodded, eyes hazy as he stared at nothing.

Woojin helped Chan out of the bathroom, and was then stopped by a teacher, who looked Woojin up and down in disapproval.

“Excuse me sir, let him go, that is one of my students.” The woman said, and Woojin bit the inside of his cheek. He looked behind him, at the bathroom that Jeongin was still inside of.

“I’m sorry, he’s my roommate and I came here to pick him up but he didn’t answer his pho-” The teacher grabbed Chan’s arm and tried to pull him away, but the younger man screamed and wrenched out of her grip.

“P-please don’t, I’m sorry…” He sobbed, looking at her in fear as he hid behind Woojin. She frowned, looking at Woojin with harsh eyes.

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave the school. I need to take care of Chan.” She made an attempt at grabbing him again, and Woojin had to hold him back so he didn’t lash out on her.

“Please, I know how to help him, he’s dissociating.” Woojin was desperate; he needed to get Chan out of the school, from this environment where he felt unsafe and hated.

“Mrs. Chang!” They both turned to the bathroom, which Jeongin was walking out of towards them. He looped an arm around Woojin’s free elbow, looking at Chan with clear worry in his eyes. “Woojin hyung, we should get going shouldn’t we? Chan hyung needs to get home and rest.”

“Jeongin, do you know this man?” Mrs. Chang asked, and Jeongin faked a look of surprise.

“Of course I do! He’s Chan hyung’s best friend, they live together. I took him with me in so he could help me get Chan hyung out of here.” She narrowed her eyes at him, but then sighed.

“Well then. Hope you feel better tomorrow, Chan.” She said and walked off with one last venomous look at Woojin. 

“Oh my gods, thank you Jeongin. I don’t know how I would have gotten him out of here without you.” Woojin said as they hurried out of the school building, and Jeongin gave him a tense smile.

“Mrs. Chang is a bitch and I’m like ninety percent sure she’s the reason he’s like this right now.” They both looked at Chan, who was holding on tightly to Woojin’s arm, biting harshly on his bottom lip. 

“Daddy?” He whispered when they reached the car, and Woojin leaned down so he could speak into his ear. “Can Innie hyung come?” Woojin frowned, but then looked up at Jeongin.

“He wants you to come with us.” Jeongin looked surprised, but then nodded, opening the backseat door.

As soon as they got home Chan ran to their bedroom, wrapping himself in the blanket from their bed and taking in the scent of Woojin. He sniffled, clumsily kicking off his shoes as he waddled out to the living room, where Jeongin was sitting awkwardly on the couch. He slumped down on the other end, looking up under his bangs at Jeongin.

“Hi Innie.” He murmured, and Jeongin hesitantly smiled at him, making him giggle.

“Chan hyung? Are you alright?” He frowned at the question, but then a hand squeezed his shoulder and he looked up to see Woojin smiling at him.

“Something wrong baby?” He tugged on Woojin’s shirt, so he would lean down.

“I’m, I’m not hyung. I’m not hyung?” He mumbled into Woojin’s ear, and the older kissed him on the forehead.

Chan had fallen asleep in Woojin’s lap, two fingers in his mouth, and Woojin hoped he could stay asleep. They had made it home to their apartment without trouble, and Woojin had sat Jeongin down on the couch so he could explain everything.

“It feels weird.” Jeongin said quietly, and Woojin nodded, thinking back to the beginning, when Chan only called him Dad when he was having a breakdown.

"It won't be often, if ever, but if he gets like this when you're around him, don't call him hyung." Jeongin nodded, and they fell into a tense silence, the younger obviously thinking hard.

"We talked about age regression in school a while ago, but I wouldn't have guessed that Channie hyung does it. Do you know how old he gets? Like mentally." Woojin sighed, pushing a hand through his dark red locks.

"I don't know. It depends on the day? 'Cause sometimes he can't even speak, and needs help with a lot of things, but other times he's just a bit more childish.” Jeongin nodded, fiddling with his ear.

“What should I do if it happens in school again?” He asked, and Woojin sighed again, gently caressing Chan’s flushed cheeks.

“I’ll give you my number, so you can call me if it happens.” Jeongin nodded, pulling out his phone to create a new contact.

He was pulled from his slumber by someone shaking his shoulder. He pouted and pulled the blanket up over his head, but the shaking persisted. He peaked out, blurry eyes adjusting until he saw Jeongin leaning over him.

“Innie?” He whispered, and Jeongin smiled unsurely at him.

“Hi Channie hy- Chan. Did you sleep well?” He asked, and Chan beamed at him.

“Yes hyung!” He said, but his smile dropped when Jeongin looked conflicted. “I-Innie hyung?” He asked, fiddling nervously with his fingers. Jeongin took a deep breath and shook his head as if to clear it.

“I’m just not used to being called hyung Chan, that’s all. How… How was your nap?” Jeongin was awkward and stiff, but Chan was just happy he could have someone apart from Woojin when he was small.

“It was nice!” He said, his bright smile having returned to his face. Woojin walked into the living room and crouched down behind the sofa, putting his chin on top of his folded arms.

“Hey boys, I made dinner. Do you want to eat in the kitchen or in here?” He asked and leaned down to kiss Chan on the forehead.

“In here? Please Dad?” Chan said and stuck his bottom lip out in a pout. Woojin laughed and pushed his chin up to kiss his pout away.

“Of course baby. Jeongin, could you help me bring the food from the kitchen?”

Woojin was in the middle of handling a particularly annoying customer when Felix came running to him, Woojin’s phone in his hand. They quickly switched places and Woojin jogged to the back room to answer the call from… Jeongin?

“Jeongin-ah? Something wrong?” He asked as soon as the call connected, and he could practically hear the boy frowning over the phone.

“It’s Chan… He got beat up by some kids in my class.” Woojin’s breath stopped for a second, and then he grabbed his jacket and ran over to his manager.

“I need to go, my… My boyfriend needs me.”

Chan couldn’t stop crying. Everytime he thought he was calming down he was hit with a new wave of tears. He was curled up against Jeongin’s chest, the boy with his lanky arms wrapped around him.

“It’s okay, Woojin hyung will be here soon and pick us up, and we can go home.” Jeongin said and stroked Chan’s hair back from his damp forehead.

"D-Daddy, where is he, I need Daddy…" Chan hiccuped, face scrunched up in panic and sadness against Jeongin's chest.

"He's coming soon, it'll be okay." Jeongin whispered, swallowing loudly and pulling Chan impossibly closer.

Chan shook, crawling onto Jeongin's lap and straddling him, burying his face in his shoulder. The feeling of the younger boy's slender hands and arms holding him tight grounded him some, but he still felt like his head was swimming.

"Hyung, hyung help." He whimpered, rubbing his face against Jeongin's shirt. "I-I'm, I'm drowning hyung, help." He added in a whisper, pulling back so he could look Jeongin in the eyes. The younger boy looked clueless.

"I don't know how to help Channie, you have to tell me." He said, gently brushing a platinum blonde curl away from his damp face. Chan grasped his hand and pulled it nearly violently to his throat, sobbing when Jeongin tried to pull his hand away.

"Just, just hold, just hold hyung." Chan cried, looking at Jeongin with pleading eyes. The younger boy swallowed hesitantly before wrapping his fingers around his throat and holding him gently.

Chan deflated like a balloon, having to brace himself against Jeongin's shoulders. His breathing slowed down and he let out a choked whimper when Jeongin gently massaged the sides of his throat.

"Better Channie?" He asked gently, hesitance clear in his voice, and Chan nodded fervently.

"Thank you hyung, thank you, thank you…" He said, eyes fluttering close.

Woojin called Jeongin again when he was just a minute away from their school, not wanting to have to confront any teachers again. When he arrived at the front of the school the two were standing there, Jeongin with Chan draped around him and their backpacks on the ground next to them. As soon as he had parked he flew out of the car and ran up to them, catching Chan in his arms when his boyfriend stumbled towards him.

"Daddy, help." He whispered, and Woojin felt his heart break when he saw the cuts and bruises on Chan's face and arms.

"Oh baby. C'mon baby boy, we're gonna go home now." Woojin made eye contact with Jeongin, who picked up their backpacks and followed him back to his car.

Woojin wanted to do nothing but protect Chan from the mean people in the world around them, but he knew he couldn't be there at all times.

Chan was just so, so scared. But in Woojin's arms everything felt a little safer, a little more sure.

**Author's Note:**

> *rests my chin in my hands* sooooooo anyone mad cause i made them sadder??????????? 
> 
> [my twitter!](https://twitter.com/toothywoochan)  
[my curiouscat!](https://curiouscat.me/toothywoochan)


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